How to Deal with Passive-Aggressive People in the Workplace

Published Date 1/19/2016
Category: Career & Finances

Passive-aggressive coworkers can leave you feeling frustrated.

Some of the most frustrating people to work with engage in passive-aggressive behavior. These people can poison a workplace, leaving you frustrated and insecure in your own role while hurting the overall atmosphere of the workplace and bringing down productivity. In the face of such a negative personality, it's important to respond in ways that disarm the situation and keep your own positivity intact.

Don't Get Frustrated

It's easy to get frustrated around passive-aggressive personalities, especially when their behavior can affect your own work. Still, in the case of the workplace, it's best to not let anger or frustration get the better of you. If you work closely, you may not be able to completely ignore your coworker and their negative behavior. But the less you respond, the less they'll be motivated to behave in ways that get under your skin.

Don't Put up With Damaging Behavior

That said, if someone else's behavior is hurting your work, there comes a point when you'll have to respond. If the situation gets serious, make your communication formal, either by asking another party to come into the conversation or by making sure you put things in writing. Don't accuse, but speak to your own feelings and back it up with facts. Speaking with a phone psychic can help you find ways to communicate effectively in this situation.

Employ Positivity

If you can't just ignore the person, there are ways to respond that bring out your own positivity. Humor is a good resource. If the behavior is mild, using humor can disarm the situation and make the truth clear.

Likewise, by giving your passive-aggressive coworker a voice, you may empower them to improve their behavior. People often act out because they feel like they aren't being heard. You can ask this person to take part in solving problems. If they respond positively, you're a step closer to improving their behavior. And if they don't, just tell them you'll keep their thoughts in mind and move on.

Don't Engage

As tempting as it gets, don't start an exchange with a passive-aggressive person in your workplace. You'll never be able to outdo them, and you'll only put yourself in the same negative category. To catch them off guard, react to snide comments at face value. Conferring with online psychics will allow you to discover underlying reasons for a coworker's negative behavior so you can respond in ways that keep your own respectability intact.

Try to Make Peace

When the timing is right to engage in conversation, try to set up a peaceful tone for future interactions. Hopefully, your passive-aggressive coworker is ready for a true change, but if that doesn't seem possible, you both can still be respectful. If all else fails, tell the person you won't tolerate passive-aggressive behavior any longer.

When faced with passive-aggressive people in the workplace, maintain your own respect, humor, and positivity without letting yourself engage with negative behavior. Instead of falling into negative communication patterns yourself, you can learn to react with positivity and grace.


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